Ryan Loyd

Ryan Loyd is Texas Public Radio's city beat and political reporter who brings more than a decade of news experience back to his hometown.

Ryan began reporting at KGNB radio in New Braunfels, followed by KTSA. He worked in television news in Joplin, MO, San Antonio, Sherman, Texas, and Austin.

Since joining TPR in October 2011, Ryan has covered stories of local, state and national interest including the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro delivered the keynote address.

Ryan especially enjoys reporting on in-depth issues like the Eagle Ford Shale oil and natural gas boom, the ongoing conversation into redeveloping Alamo Plaza, the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland sex scandal, and numerous city issues. Ryan is a regular contributor to NPR News.

For his coverage in 2012, Ryan won a Michael E. DeBakey Journalism award for his feature on a story about Canine PTSD, which ran locally and on NPR's "All Things Considered." The story explored the possibilities that combat dogs exhibit symptoms of a post-traumatic stress disorder, similar to the same disorder human soldiers experience.

The Michael E. DeBakey Journalism Award honors professional journalists whose reporting has enhanced public understanding of how the humane and responsible use of animal models leads to medical and scientific discoveries. Loyd accepted the award May 14 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

He also won the Reporting on Open Government award from the Society of Professional Journalists, Ft. Worth Chapter, for his stories relating to the sex scandal at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The stories contributed to the Air Force's increased transparency to the media and to the public.

In 2011 he won first place in the Ft. Worth Society of Professional Journalist's First Amendment Awards in the Green News category for his work on an environmental story while in Austin. He won a second place Associated Press Broadcasters award for beat reporting for his coverage of San Antonio city government at TPR.

Ryan is trying to become a more avid cyclist, but in the meantime he chases around a vibrant pre-schooler and a red-nosed dog with his wife, Sarah.

The Bracken Bat Cave, just north of San Antonio, is as rural as it gets. You have to drive down a long, 2-mile rocky road to reach it. There's nothing nearby — no lights, no running water. The only thing you hear are the katydids.

The cave houses a massive bat colony, as it has for an estimated 10,000 years. Bat Conservation International, the group that oversees the Bracken Cave Reserve, wants it to stay secluded, but the area's rural nature could change if a local developer's plan moves forward.

For years, PTSD — or post-traumatic stress disorder — has been an issue for military members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

But humans aren't the only ones with problems. Military dogs returning from war zones are also showing signs of PTSD. And there's evidence that these canines need some extra tender loving care after their tours of duty.